Jane Doe
by irish
Summary: John helps a young woman who is suffering from Amnesia while investigating a case. UPDATED!
1. Default Chapter

A **John Doe** Fan Fiction

**Jane Doe**

A/N – takes places after Save as…John Doe. Spoilers will include any episode up to that. This is my first John Doe fic. Please be kind.

Summary – John helps a young woman suffering from Amnesia while investigating a murder with Frank and Jamie

Disclaimer – The characters John Doe, Digger, Jamie Avery, Frank Hayes, Nance and anyone/thing else the executive producers have created belong to them and the Fox network. Grace and the rest belong to me (irish – March 2004)

**Prologue**

The flimsy material of the cotton dress swirled around the young woman as she staggered through the dark and wet rain sodden wooden pier in Seattle. A man and woman stepped out of her way as she stumbled. Assuming that she was drunk or on drugs they walked quickly away without looking back. Letting out a low moan she fell to the ground. The rain plastered her hair to her head. She held onto the nearby wall as she garnered every ounce of energy she had left she helped herself up. She lifted her head and tried to focus on the lights, water, anything to help her make sense of all of this. Images swam in front of her eyes, she couldn't make anything out. It seemed everything was in slow motion. Her ears pounded in her head as she held onto the wall. She could hear the water lapping against the wooden posts of pier. Standing with her back to the wall she turned her head to the direction that she had come from. She knew she was in danger and had to get to somewhere safe. She whimpered as the pain in her head intensified. She rolled her head to the other side and made out a blue neon sign. From the distance she could hear people laughing and the sound of a piano.

Digger, the proprietor of The Sea Bar, glanced over at the man playing the piano. He noticed that he was staring into space as his fingers deftly hit the right notes. It was like he was immersed in his own thoughts, not paying attention to what was going on around him. The bar was extremely busy, people were having fun and yet the other man wasn't joining in. Digger put down the glass he was cleaning and walked over to him.

"What's got you down?"

John Doe glanced up at his friend. He shook his head. "Nothing."

Digger raised his eyebrows as he leaned on the piano. "Nothing? You may be here but you're not with us."

A frown creased the younger man's forehead as he surveyed the room. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that chick over there practically sat on your knee and you didn't even blink an eyelid." Digger moved his head slightly in the direction of a pretty brunette standing at the bar with two other people. 

John glanced over at the woman. "Did you know that the absolute value of any real number is its distance from zero? And that if the number a is positive or zero, its absolute value is itself; if a is negative, its absolute value is minus a." He looked up at Digger with a slight grin and the raise of an eyebrow.

Digger shook his head. "The knowledge inside your head is not going to get you what you need most." He pointed his finger at John's head and looked over to the woman at the bar. 

John frowned again. "That's not what I need most. What I need most is to find out who I am, find out who The Phoenix group are…"

"In the meantime why don't you have some fun?" Digger slapped him on the shoulder.

John watched as Digger walked away. He pursed his lips together and muttered to himself. 'Fun? I can have fun."

He took a swig from the bottle of beer that was standing on the top of the piano. He eased himself up from the chair and made his way over to the bar.

A cold breeze came gusting through the bar as the swing door opened. John heard people shout out in shock as a voice cried out. He turned just in time to see a young woman with short brown hair collapse to the floor. 

"Not another one!" he said to himself. Another woman, Paulette, fainted in the bar a couple of weeks ago. Rushing over he knelt down beside the prone body of the woman and examined her. His eyes took in the cotton dress and the fact that she wasn't wearing shoes. He felt the pulse on the carotid artery on her neck and found that it was very weak. Looking up at the people who gathered around and then at Digger. "Call 911!"

***********

John sat in the leather chair in the hospital waiting room. It was a place that was coming all too familiar to him. He decided that he hated hospitals. Something else to add to his list of dislikes. He watched the people going about their business. The door opened and Frank Hayes and Jamie Avery came in. They, as well as Digger and Karen, had become like family to him. The only family he knew.

"Got your message, Doe," Jamie said getting straight to the point.

"This woman collapsed in the bar tonight. Doc is with her now."

"What were the circumstances?" asked Frank.

"She was only wearing a thin cotton dress, no shoes. Was soaked to the bone."

"Who is she?" Jamie asked.

John shrugged. The door to the waiting room opened and the three turned to see the doctor standing at the doorway with a clipboard in her hand. John noticed that she looked troubled.

"What?"

The doctor looked at the clipboard. "We've run some tests. She was suffering from slight hypothermia, some cuts and bruises to her feet, no evidence of sexual assault…."

"So who is she?" Jamie asked.

"We don't know. She doesn't know," replied the doctor looking at John.

He stared in astonishment at her. "Wait a minute. Are you saying…?"

"She has amnesia. When we asked her to confirm her name she got hysterical. We had to sedate her."

"Amnesia!" John breathed out. Jamie glanced at him sharply but he ignored the look the lieutenant gave him.

"It could have resulted from any number of things. We're ruling out a blow to the head as there is no evidence. We're going to run some more tests tomorrow."

"MRI, CAT scan?" asked John.

The doctor nodded. "We don't know if she has been reported missing so we're also going to put it out on the news in the morning. We'll see how she is when she wakes up." She turned and left the room.

John turned to Frank and Jamie. "The National Missing Person's databases across the country."

Frank glanced at Jamie and then turned his attention back to Doe. "John. I'm just warning you not to get personally involved in this case. Let us deal with it."

The other man frowned. "What?"

"I'm telling you not to get involved. You have your own thing to deal with it."

"Frank this woman needs our help…."

Jamie placed her hand on his shoulder. "Let us deal with it."

John shook his head in frustration and walked out the door. The two followed him and watched as he stood outside the hospital room looking through the window. He took in the restlessness of the woman. He cast his eyes to the floor and walked towards the exit. Jamie and Frank looked at each other with a look of understanding. Frank let out a long sigh. "We both know what he's not going to listen to us."

Jamie smiled slightly and nodded. "I know."

TBC

********


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer and Rating in the prologue.

Please feel free to leave some feedback.

*********

Chapter 1 

The sun was streaming through the window of the hospital room when the woman opened her eyes. She could feel the warmth of the sun on her face as she tried to take in her surroundings but her vision was blurred and she felt groggy. She rubbed her eyes which brought her vision into focus. She lay in the bed staring at the ceiling. Something was wrong. What was it? She pulled back the covers and sat up. As she did the door opened and a man wearing blue jeans and a black leather jacket strode in. 

"Good morning."

The woman gingerly put her feet on the floor. As she did she swayed. John rushed over and helped her sit back on the bed. "Where are you going?"

She fixed the stranger with her eyes. "I have to get out of here." 

John heard the desperation and the panic in her voice. "Do you?"

"I have to get out of here." 

"Do you know what happened to you?" asked John. He put a hand on her shoulder.

She swallowed and her eyes watered. She shook her head and looked at the man with alarm. "No."

He recognized fear in her face. A muscle tensed in his jaw. "What's your name?"

Feeling bile rise from her stomach the woman stared at the man. She brought her hand up to her mouth as her breathing got heavier and she began to hyperventilate. "I…..don't know." 

"Take slow breaths. You're hyperventilating caused by acute anxiety. Often seen in people who've had a shock. Slow breaths reduce the levels of Carbon Dioxide."  

When she had calmed down she looked at John. "What am I going to do?"

He smiled at her and let out a sigh. "Well they're gong to run tests, MRI, CAT scan to determine the cause of your amnesia."

A look of confusion appeared on her face. "MRI?"

He nodded. "Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Used to detect abnormalities in the brain or other organs. Less harmful than X rays." 

"Will it hurt?"

He shook his head and recalled the time he had an MRI and ended up with concussion and some brief flashes of memory. "Not unless you're claustrophobic."

She gave him a sidelong glance and a small smile played on her lips. "I don't know if I am."

He let out a small chuckle and raised his eyebrows.

She cleared her throat. "Are you with the hospital?"

He shook his head. "No. The police."

"You're a cop?"

"No. I'm not a cop. I work for them… as a consultant."

She pushed herself back on the bed. "A consultant?"

"I help them with cases."

Before he could say anything else the door opened and Frank and Jamie walked in with the doctor. Jamie cleared her throat while Doe flushed with embarrassment and turned to look out the window. 

"I'm Lt. Avery and this is Detective Hayes. I see you've already met John Doe." Jamie got straight to the point.

"Yes."

"So have you any ideas about what happened to you m'am?" Frank asked walking over to Doe at the window.

The woman shook her head and her eyes watered up. "No."

The doctor handed her a file. "In cases like these we notify the media that we have an amnesia victim. We give them your stats and other identifying information…."

While the doctor was explaining everything to the woman Frank leaned against the wall beside John. "I thought we told you to stay out of it."

John cast his eyes to the ground and then glanced over at the woman and then back at Frank. "She needs my help. I can help her."

Frank let out a sigh. "You didn't tell her about your own little problem now did you?"

"No."

"Good then keep it that way."

John smiled. "So does that mean?"

Frank shook his head. "Yes you're on the case."

*********

The doctor frowned as she looked at the results of the tests that they had run on the woman. She turned around to look at the four people in the room. "There's no evidence of any kind of brain injury…"

"Subdurnal haematoma, concussion.  What about an injury to the Frontal Lobe?" John asked.

The doctor shook her head. "There's nothing. See for yourself." She handed the x ray results to John. He stood up, clipped the sheets onto the board and switched the light on. He stood back and examined each one individually.

"When you're ready John," Frank said in exasperation.

John turned to look at the doctor. "You're right."

The young woman let out a deep sigh. "So we've ruled out head injuries. What now?"

"Well there's one thing that we're not ruling out," replied the doctor.

"What's that?" Jamie asked.

"That it's psychogenic. Related to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder," replied the doctor.

"Whatever happened to you at the pier has brought on the amnesia. Classic avoidance. Blocking it out of your mind. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, DSM in short, versions 1 through 5 –"

"John. In English please," Frank interrupted not really wanting to listen to John ramble on.

A look of disappointment clouded John's face but he shifted himself to look at the young woman. "If it's psychological maybe I can help."

The woman opened her mouth as if to say something but Jamie interrupted. "John. Let the professionals deal with it."

"Jamie. I know all about this stuff. Hypnosis, biofeedback, free association –"

Frank cleared his throat and stood up. "Can I speak to you for a minute, John?"

The other man nodded and got to his feet. He smiled apologetically at the young woman. "We'll be right back."

He followed the detective out the door. As he shut the door he glanced back into the room and saw that the young woman was watching him.

"Before you say anything I know I can help her." 

Frank shook his head. "You're too invested in this John. I think you need to take a step back."

"No. Studies have shown that most amnesia patients recover using a combination of hypnotherapy-"

"It hasn't worked for you," Frank pointed out.

"I'm not your average amnesia patient," John said with a wry grin.

Frank chuckled. "No your not." His face turned serious. "I don't know about this. Jamie will have my ass."

John gave Frank a knowing smile. "Leave Jamie to me."

"If the doctor agrees to it then I guess its ok."

The two went back into the room. Jamie caught Frank's eye who shrugged. She sighed and turned to look at the young woman. "Well. It looks like our Mr. Doe is going to insist on helping you gain your memory back."

John smiled at the young woman who nodded. She turned to the doctor. "When can I get out of here?"

"Well there is nothing physically wrong with you but…"

"But what?" asked the woman.

"Ordinarily when we release patients we make sure they have somewhere to stay. We do have a boarding house beside the hospital but it's full at the moment."

The woman looked deflated as she sat back in her seat. 

"She can stay with me," John spoke up.

"Not a good idea, John," said Jamie.

He glared at the lieutenant but she ignored the look. "I have the space. She can take my bed. I'll have the couch. I don't sleep much anyway."

The doctor sighed and looked at the two cops. "It would help a great deal."

John gave his best innocent blue eyed boy look at Jamie. She brought her lips together in a thin line and let out a deep breath. "Ok."

John and the young woman looked at each other and smiled.

TBC


	3. Chapter 2

Rating, Disclaimer and notes in first chapter

Sorry about the delay in posting this.

******

John opened the door to his apartment and let the woman in. Her eyes widened as she entered and saw the spacious loft where John lived.

"Wow! Does consulting for the police pay that much?"

John smiled. "The stock market."

She nodded slowly as she made her way around the loft. 

"Make yourself at home. Anything you need don't be afraid to ask. Actually you don't need to ask. The kitchen, living room, bathroom." John indicated where everything was.

The woman glanced over at the door to John's private room. The room where he was searching for himself. "What's in there?"

"Em…that's my office. I work from home sometimes and some of the stuff is confidential. I would appreciate it if you…."

She nodded. "I won't go in."

John brought his hands together and rubbed them. "Well first things first let's get you set up. Do you want to take a lie down? Have a rest?"

She shook her head. "No I've spent too much time in bed. I need to do something."

"Well we can start on some hypnosis. Try and jog your memory."

A sad smile played on her lips. "Ok."

He sat her down on the couch and lit a candle on the coffee table in front of her. He sat opposite her. 

"Ok. First things first. I want you to take some slow deep breaths and close your eyes."

She followed his instructions but the shrill ring of Doe's cell phone made them both jump. She opened her eyes and watched as John grabbed the phone from his jacket. He glanced at the screen ID and saw that it was Frank. He looked apologetically at the girl. 

"Now's not a good time, Frank," he said into the phone.

"Why not?"

"We were just about to start some hypnotherapy," replied John.

"We need you down at the harbour, John. We have a homicide."

John glanced over his house guest and saw that she was watching him intently. "It's not a good time."

"Homicide never is. We need your brain power down here."

John let out a big sigh. "Ok. I'm on my way over." 

"I'm sorry. I gotta go. The police…. We can do this when I get back."

She nodded. "Ok."

He smiled again. "Make yourself at home. Mi casa, su casa. Did you know that saying was derived from -?"

"John just go!"

He chuckled and went out the door. She sat on the sofa for a few minutes, then got up and made her way to the kitchen.

********

John pulled up to the address Frank had given him. He saw that the forensics team was already there. Stu, the red headed forensics guy, was conversing with Frank and Jamie. 

"Hey! What do we have here?" Doe asked making his way over to them.

Frank handed John a pair of latex gloves. "We have a male, 5'9", approximate age is 30, GSW to the head and the chest. Bound and gagged. Here a couple of days at least." 

John knelt down beside the victim and examined it. Sometimes he was glad that he could only see in black and white as he was sure he would not be able to deal with the blood. 

"It looks like it was at close blank range, judging by the entry wound to the head," John surmised. He lifted the victim's head and examined the exit wound and the surrounding area. "Judging by the amount of brain matter splattered."

"Gun shot wound to the head, close blank range. It sounds like…." Frank trailed off and looked at Jamie.

"You think it was gangland killing?" Jamie asked.

"Possible," replied Frank. "I've only ever seen this with the Gianfranco's."

"Gianfranco. Mafia type family here in Seattle. Involved in organized crime, bribery, planning corruption. Had a long running feud with the Caprani family up to ten years ago." John recited off all he knew about the Gianfranco family.

"Dammit. I though all that crap was finished it," Jamie said with frustration.

"Do you think the feud has started up again?" asked Frank.

"I hope not. I don't want a gangland war on my area. Get this back to Nance so that she can tissue type." 

John glanced around the sealed off crime scene. He realized that they were very close to The Sea. He began walking in the direction of the bar and his loft.

"John. Where are you going?" Frank called after him.

John turned. "Water."

"What?" asked Jamie and Frank in unison.

"Grace mentioned water. That she recalled the water lapping against the pier."

"Grace?"

"Grace. She decided she wanted to be called Grace." John smiled and raised his eyebrows.

Frank nodded in understanding and followed John. "Do you think she saw what happened? Got scared and bolted."

They walked along the pier. "It's possible. She could have been traumatized. Blocked out the memory."

"Two witnesses said they saw her fall. They thought she was a druggie. Didn't stop to help her."

They rounded a corner and saw The Sea bar in front of them. "She must have seen it," John said looking at Frank.

Grace was standing in the kitchen when John and the detective came into the apartment. 

"That didn't take long," she said with a smile. Her smile faded when she saw the serious look on the faces of the two men. "What? Did you hear something? About me?"

John shook his head. "No. The report will be out on the news tonight. It's something else."

"What?"

"We found a body down at the waterfront –"

Grace backed away with a look of fear on her face. "A body?"

"Murdered."

"You think it has something to do with me?" 

"We don't know. But we have two witnesses that saw you coming from that direction. Maybe you saw something," replied Frank.

She frowned and shook her head. "I don't remember anything about that night."

John saw that she was getting distressed again. "It's ok. It may not mean anything. But we would like you to take a look at the victim to see if it jogs anything."

She looked from John to Frank and then back to John again. Tears watered up in her eyes and she nodded.

TBC


End file.
